ABC reports that President Obama is not going to visit a Sikh house of worship in India because he fears that being seen wearing the requisite headcover might prompt calls from the wingnut-o-sphere that he's a Muslim. Sikhs aren't Muslims, but you get the idea.
And if he walked into an Orthodox or Conservative synagogue and had to put on a kipah/yarmulke, would there be cries that he was a closet Jew?
Muslims and Sikhs have to cover their heads inside a mosque; guests are strongly encouraged to do so. Orthodox and Conservative Jews also cover their heads, and visitors are encouraged to blend in. At St. Peters in Vatican City, women cannot enter the cathedral if they have bare shoulders. What's the big problem here if Obama covers his head? The temple in question is a prominent one in India, and skipping a visit there could be diplomatically clumsy. Let WorldNet Daily and Fox News spin and spin this like crazy. Any ordinary American citizen who walked into that site would be encouraged to cover up and could be seen as insulting their hosts if they didn't comply. You think they'd say, "Hey, bud, I'm an American and a Christian. No one tells me what to wear in any house of worship"? No, they'd gladly comply and be gracious and respectful. Why should the president not behave the same way? Isn't it a big thing on the right that the president should be like one of us?
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